No More Dreaming
by Spiderbun
Summary: A cub without a mother is a tragedy but perhaps a cub raised by Scar is something worse.
1. Chapter 1

Nala quietly pawed at a pebble, watching it roll back and forth. There were no other cubs to play with. Not after Simba. And when her mother and the other lionesses went hunting, she was left alone. She loved her mother but she felt a loneliness in her heart. After all, every child wants a friend. Nothing was the same anymore. With a sigh, she slumped down and laid down in the dirt. Mom was going to scold her for getting dirt all over her fur. That brought a small smile to her face. Mom may scold her, but she would than precede to bathe her with a smile. Baths made Nala feel warm and loved.

The sound of the lionesses returning brought Nala back to her feet. She ran to greet them but stopped when she saw Sarabi's expression. Sarabi's head was down and her fur was stained with tears and snot. Nala's heart fell. Last time she saw Sarabi like this, Simba had... _"No everyone's okay!"_She thought desperately. Nala continued to head towards the lionesses with a forced smile.

"Mom!" She called. Sarabi's head shot up and turned to look at Nala. But at the sight of Nala, the former queen burst into new tears.

Nala frowned when she didn't see her mother in the returning hunting party. Her stomach flipped and her heart raced. "_It can't be. She's fine. She's fine."_ Nala tried to convince herself.

"Mom?" She called again, pushing through the lionesses. Nala whirled back to face Sarabi, who hadn't said a word.

"Where's my mom?" She choked out.

Sarabi took in a choking breath before answering her. "I'm so sorry, Nala. There was an accident."

Nala didn't want to hear anymore, she turned and fled.

* * *

The day Simba died was the worst day of Nala's young life. Now it was all happening again. The cub ran until she found a small hole the rockside. She scurried into it and curled up in the small space.

_"It's all a dream. It has to be a dream. I just have to go to sleep and then wake up again. This isn't real. It's not real!"_

Sobs racked her small body and kept her from sleeping. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep when a voice woke her up.

"Come out of there Nala." The voice ordered. From her hole she could see a green eye staring at her.

* * *

A/N: Alright so I know this is short but I wanted to get the intro done. Let me warn you now, this isn't going to be a happy fic. Some characters will be OOC, most notably Nala. This is an AU and the character changes are on purpose. This is NOT a romantic Scar x Nala fic.

One more thing: I came up with this after reading TLKwhatif-Shattered's comic series on deviantart. Which is really cool you should check it out. I'm going with the same basic concept, though mine is and will be different.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come out of there, Nala." The voice ordered. From her hole, she could see a green eye staring at her.

Nala let out a soft whimper and tried to crawl deeper into the hole.

"Stop this nonsense. Or else I shall leave you here to starve." The voice grew harsher.

The frightened cub slowly crawled forward towards the dim light. Since Simba and Mufasa had died, the sun never showed through the thick clouds. The dim light was better than the oppressive darkness in the hole. When Nala squeezed back through she found herself face to face with the new king.

"Good. Follow me." He turned and started walking without looking back to see if Nala was indeed following.

Nala hesitated, then glanced around before running after Scar. Scar slowed his pace slightly and let her catch up.

"Mr. King? How did you find me?" Nala asked shyly.

He didn't look at her, but answered her question, "The hyenas found you and reported to me."

"Oh." She looked away. "My mom's dead, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Perhaps if you had listened to Sarabi instead of running off, you would know." But then he added, "Hunting accident. A wildebeest."

Nala sniffled softly but said nothing the rest of the walk back. When they arrived at Pride Rock, Scar simply walked away, leaving Nala alone.

_"What is he doing? First he comes looking for me, then he ignores me?" _Nala thought to herself.

"Nala!" Sarabi called and ran over to the cub. "I'm so glad you're all right. Scar didn't hurt you, did he?"

Nala shook her head and averted her eyes from Sarabi.

"I'm so sorry, Nala. Your mother was a wonderful lioness and a dear friend."

"Thanks." Nala said without meaning it. Then she walked away from Sarabi.

"Wait! Don't run off again."

"I'm not going far." She answered.

* * *

Nala wasn't sure where she was heading but she ended up in the King's cave, SImba's old den. Instead of her friend, she found a scowling Scar.

Scar sighed when he saw her, "Go back to the lionesses, they'll take care of you."

"Could I stay here for a little while? I won't be a bother?" Nala asked.

The king narrowed his eyes before sighing, "Very well. Just don't make a peep. And that's sire to you, child."

Nala curled up and looked around the den. It used to be clean and lively,but now bones were strewn everywhere. Zazu was sleeping in his ribcage prison. Nala thought about her mother and the love that radiated from her. But the more she thought, she became less and less sad, and more angry. Everyone had left her.

"Scar?" Nala piped up.

Scar rubbed his face with his paw, "What did I say about talking?"

"Oh, sorry." Nala's ears went down and she put her head on her paws.

"Why don't you see Sarabi? You're filthy and you need a bath." He said, not unkindly.

At the mention of Sarabi, Nala tensed up. That intrigued Scar.

"Oh? Is there something wrong with Sarabi? I thought you liked her."

Nala avoided his gaze. "No. She's fine."

"Then pray tell me, why are you here? Sarabi is more than happy to shower you with love and pity. I'm a poor choice."

"She's not my mother!" Nala exclaimed angrily. Scar's eyebrows shot up, but Nala kept talking. "Sarabi's the lead huntress and she told me her job was too keep all the lionesses safe and working together. She failed and my mom paid for it!" Nala paced as she ranted.

"As much as I can appreciate anger, I do believe you are being harsh on Sarabi." He looked up thoughtfully. "I've known her for many years and I have never known her to not value the life of others. It's utterly sickening at times, but it's Sarabi's way."

Nala didn't know what to say to that, so she simply sat back down. "Why? Why do so many bad things happen to me? What did I do?"

_"Never underestimate a cub's ability to put themselves in the center of the universe."_ Scar smirked to himself. But there was something about a lonely cub that reminded Scar of himself. Perhaps that's why he surprised both Nala and himself when he said aloud, "Just this once, I'll give you a bath."

Nala look of joy melted something in Scar. She hurried over and laid between his front paws.

"Just don't go blabbering to all of the other cubs that the King gives baths." He grumbled.

"There aren't any other cubs." Nala murmured.

Scar cleared his throat awkwardly before reaching down to groom Nala's ears.

* * *

A/N: Not much happened in this chapter, more just setting some things up. I don't actually have any love or pity for Scar so hopefully I can convince you (and myself) of the nicer side of Scar.


End file.
